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Columbia Sportswear Company Names Kirk Richardson General Manager of Footwear

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - December 1, 2008) - Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM), a
global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, today
announced the appointment of Kirk Richardson as General Manager of
Footwear, effective December 1, 2008.

Since March of 2006, Richardson has served as President of Keen Footwear,
following a 27 year career with Nike where he held various footwear and
apparel leadership positions. Throughout his 30 year career, he has earned
a reputation for driving product vision and business performance.

"We are very excited to welcome Kirk Richardson to Columbia Sportswear.
Richardson's proven strategic skills will play an important role in driving
product innovation and attacking global market opportunities across our
three footwear brands, Columbia, Sorel and Montrail," said Mark Nenow, Vice
President, Global Footwear.

"Columbia has a portfolio of strong brands with tons of potential and a
rich heritage of designing great products for outdoor enthusiasts. I am
excited to be joining forces with so many talented, experienced members of
the Columbia Footwear team who are committed to creating even more
innovative footwear products," said Kirk Richardson. "One of my goals will
be to ensure we actively listen to the hopes and dreams of core active
consumers and use their insights and aspirations to inspire products with
purpose and utility engineered into them."

Richardson will report to Mark Nenow, Vice President of Footwear.

About Columbia Sportswear Company

Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia Sportswear Company is a
global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active
outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear manufacturers
in the world and a leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the
company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance,
functionality and value. The company manages a portfolio of outdoor brands
including Columbia Sportswear, Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, Pacific Trail,
and Sorel. To learn more about Columbia, please visit the company's website
at http://www.columbia.com/.